


The Fourth Path

by Dakarima



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, Dark, Death, Drugs, Explicit Language, Fighting, Guns, Knives, Violence, alternative universe, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:01:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29266164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dakarima/pseuds/Dakarima
Summary: Aria investigates the illegal production of BD with River Ward, as she dips into the depths of the darker corners of Night City, she is dragged through hell, trying to hunt down the main person behind the production.(I loved the game Cyberpunk 2077 and the lifepaths in it, however, this is a "fourth lifepath" where you will follow the life of Aria and her struggles as she goes from being on the right side of the law to the wrong side. During this story she will meet several characters from the game, have her own life story/lifepath and even romances)I've only tagged characters who have appeared, below is a list of coming characters:Johnny Silverhand, Panam Palmer, Judy Alvarez, Kerry Eurodyne, Adam Smasher, Claire Russel, Rogue Amendiares, Meredith Stout, Mayor Lucius Rhyne, Mitch Anderson, Bryce Mosley, basically any character I can fit in.A heads up, this story will contain a lot of violence, blood, death, drugs and sex. It's written in the Alternative World of Cyberpunk, so I guess you know what you're getting yourself into. (Alternative as V does not exist and some characters are alive.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	1. Bullet Wound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: 18+, violence, blood, language
> 
> Characters: F!OC, River Ward, M!OC
> 
> Note: Not betad, all mistakes are my own

The sweet sickly smell seeped into Aria’s nostrils as she descended the basement stairs. Her hands were firmly wrapped around her m10 Lexington, her finger resting at the side of the trigger. Her jaw was strained as her eyes adjusted to the darkness she descended into. She wasn’t sure if the smell came from the humidity dripping down the concrete walls or if someone had been smoking a lot of Methin. Either way, it was a disgusting odour to have around her as she was trying to focus on finding clues to their investigation.

River had gotten the better place to look; second floor. She had lost the rock-paper-scissor game one to two and was quite pissed off when he smirked at her loss. She had cursed under her breath as she stomped towards the door leading downstairs.

The hallway was narrow and she tried her best not to bump into anything, she couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to get rid of the smell, it was bad enough the way it was clinging to her clothes in the air.

With her booted foot, she shoved the first door open. It creaked heavily before the metal hit the wall behind it. She scanned the room before stepping inside. It was mostly empty, except for a torn and dirty mattress in the corner with some used needles next to it. It was dripping liquid from the roof; Aria wasn’t interested in finding out what it was and turned out of the room.

She continued down the hallway, checking room after room for something not belonging there. She had a feeling they probably wouldn’t find much, but the tip was fresh and they had thrown themselves into River’s truck before speeding their way over to this abandoned building.

It had been a long time since their last tip, most of them were dead ends, but for Aria, she had promised not to stop until the people responsible for the XBD production stopped.

Aria stopped when she noted some disturbance on the floor outside one of the rooms. The door was cracked open and she furrowed her brows at the sight. She walked silently over to the door and as slowly as she could, pushed the door open. The room was empty and darker than the other rooms, due to no window letting in moonlight.

She hesitated at first, not wanting to walk inside, but she had a job to do, and god damn if she would let an empty room in the basement of an abandoned building stop her from finding anything valuable.

She pulled out her flashlight and lit up the room in front of her. A glint shimmering on the floor in the middle of the room caught her attention. She walked over to it; her eyes fixated on the small object in front of her. She bent down and picked up the small round object. She turned it over and realised it was a pin with the face of Mayor Lucius Rhyne. Her nose wrinkled at the sight, a useless mayor who lived in luxury while his people starved. She shook her head and dropped the pin to the floor.

She heard shuffling behind her and immediately turned around. Her eyes couldn’t register what it was before a knife was forced through her shoulder. She let out a scream and lifted her gun to fire a bullet, but her assailant reacted before she could fire and knocked the gun out of her grip. The gun scraped across the filthy floor. The knife was pulled out and into the side of her chest. She gasped in pain as the electric sting shot through her body.

She fisted her hand and with as much force she could muster punched him in the jaw. He lost his footing and stumbled to the side. Her foot met his chest and the person smashed into the wall with a crack. With a beat of a moment, she pulled the knife out with a wheeze. Her clothes were soaking up the blood pouring out of her stab wounds, the warm liquid sent shivers down her spine.

The rush of adrenaline ran through her veins and she pounced forward with her fingers tight around the handle. The blade sunk into the assailant’s throat and quickly went out again, the black liquid spewing out of the wound. The person gurgled out a grunt with the impact. She followed with multiple stabs to their stomach. **Again** and **again** and **again** , until the grip around the handle were slipping up because of all the blood on her hand.

They punched her in the face, the contact so hard she fell over to the side. With the moment of space, the figure jumped to the side, towards her gun on the floor. Her eyes widened at the sight as she heard the click of loading the gun. At the skip of her heartbeat, she threw the knife towards the person kneeling on the floor. Two shots were fired and for a moment, she felt like she could see the projectiles slowly fly towards her.

 **Silence**.

She stood frozen on her knees; her eyes locked on the figure slumped down on the ground – the blood pooling beneath their lifeless body with the handle of the knife sticking out of their forehead. She swallowed thickly, feeling the copper taste at the back of her throat. She lowered her head and placed a shaky hand on her abdomen. She pressed her fingers to her soaked clothes, feeling around her skin until an unknown hole were sensed in her flesh. A shock of pain shot through her body and her teeth turned to ice. She gasped and bent forward, leaning on her hand as drool hung down her mouth.

 _Fuck._ Her mind felt empty except for this one word. There were still life in her, compared to the other person in front of her, but the difference was small; perhaps just a few breathes more.

She laid down on her side before rolling over to her back. She coughed, making her whole body cramp in agony.

She heard distant footsteps approached her. “Aria?” River called out, but she couldn’t answer him. She could only breathe and try not to choke on her own spit and blood as she laid on the filthy ground.

“Aria.” He exclaimed and rushed over to her trembling body. His eyes scanned her from top to toe, brows low and eyes grave. “Aria, talk to me.” He pressed his hand on the bullet wound.

Her lips parted, but no words followed. She placed her hand over his hand and she fought to keep her eyes open.

His eyes turned bright blue and as he spoke, the words drowned out when Aria lost her consciousness.

~~~

_“Multiple stab wounds and a bullet wound. Outer and internal bleeding. 69|39 mmHG and dropping. Administer fluids and…”_

**_Aria…_ **

~~~

_“You’ll be fine, Aria. You’ll be fine.”_

**_My little butterfly…_ **

~~~

_“How is she? Can I stay with her?”_

_“She is stable but critical. We will keep her under close observation and we’ll let you know if there are any changes.”_

**_Do not shed tears…_ **

~~~

_“I’m sorry Aria, I should have been there.”_

**_Because you’ll be fine…_ **

~~~

Eyelids closed; she could see the light penetrate her thin flesh. The warmth of the sun kissed her sensitive skin. As she slowly drifted towards consciousness, she became aware of her body. It started in her toes and fingertips, slightly wiggling them to know they still functioned before the numb feeling in her muscles faded away and she took a deep breath. As she inhaled through her parted lips, she squinted, noticing a staring figure sitting beside her.

She closed her eyes as she felt burning in her eyeballs. As she scrunched her nose, she heard shuffling next to her, then the light faded and the warmth that once enveloped her cheeks were gone. After a quiet moment she opened her eyes slowly and a faded smile painted her chapped lips when she recognised the buzzcut man sitting next to her.

River let out a breath so low, it sounded like he hadn’t been breathing since they played rock-paper-scissors in the decrepit building. He took her hand and gently squeezed it, his warm touch sending tingles down her spine. He lowered his head and placed his forehead to their entangled fingers. He murmured under his breath, but Aria didn’t catch a single word.

She was glad she wasn’t alone, that River had been there when she woke up. It was an underlying fear when she finally had been aware she was still alive, that she would wake up alone with no one to be there to explain what happened. But she didn’t need explanation because she remembered everything. From the sweet lingering smell, the dripping walls, the person assaulting her, the knife, the blood and the silence. What she needed was just someone to sit there next to her, just to let her know she was safe.

“How are you feeling?” His voice was shaking and she glanced over at him. He had raised his head and watched her intently.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. That’s when she realised her mouth was dry and when she swallowed, she swallowed nothing but thick air. She looked around her and saw the glass of water with a thin straw in it next to her bed. She stared at it and River caught on quickly. He picked up the glass and placed the straw between her frail lips. She sucked up the clear liquid, it burned as it ran down her throat. Water had never felt so great in her whole life.

She carefully smacked her lips and ran her tongue around in her mouth. “I feel like shit, to be honest.”

River chuckled at her words. They both smiled at each other, Aria’s a little weaker than his, as her fragile lips strained against her movement. She could feel her skin wanted to break any moment.

He squeezed her hand again. “I am glad you are okay. You had me worried for quite a while there.”

Her brows furrowed. “A while? How long have I been out?”

He cleared his throat. “Well, uhm… for three days.” He admitted.

Her lips parted and eyes sank. She couldn’t believe she had been gone for three whole days, lying in this bed doing absolutely nothing. She didn’t think the injuries were that bad, at least from what she remembered.

“Listen, Aria.” He interrupted her thoughts. “I need to get back to the station. You stay here and rest up, alright?”

She looked up at him. “What happened to the person?”

“Dead. We got a chip from him that might be connected to the illegal BD production, but it was badly damaged during your fight. We are trying to recover whatever we can from it.”

Great, not only had she wasted three days in a hospital, she might have also ruined the only thing that might get them further in the case. She cursed herself multiple times in her head. She should have never driven that knife in his neck, it was obviously where the chip was. _Fuck, fuck, **fuck**_.

River stood up and let go of her hand. “I’ll let the nurse know you’re awake. I’ll come back later tonight.” He grabbed his brown coat and slid into it.

She wanted to protest, he saw it, but deep down they both knew he was right. She needed the rest, not only physically, but mentally as well. She had gone through a near death experience that would probably send most people to their grave, but she had fought to stay alive, and god damn if it hadn’t paid off.

He walked out of the room in his usual alpha walk, shoulders wide and back slightly bent forward. As soon as he left, the room felt cold and empty. She looked towards the window, staring at the sliver of sunlight peeking through the curtains.

Her muscles were tired, she could feel they didn’t want to move. She felt weak, just like when she was a little girl. She felt her hand tremble, she fisted it and shook her head. _No_. She pulled out the IV in her hand and everything else that was attached to her body. _Fuck this_. She pulled the duvet off and slid out of bed.

Her knees buckled beneath her and she caught herself on the edge of the bed. Her jaw strained as she pushed herself up, forcing her knees to hold up. _Come on you useless woman, stand up_. She cursed at herself until she finally managed to stand straight up. A proud gasp left her lips and she eyed the brown leather bag standing by the wall. She dragged her legs over and opened it, finding a fresh set of clothes. _Thank you, River_.

She zipped up her black ankle boots when a woman entered her room. Her surprised gasp made Aria look over her shoulder.

“What are you doing out of bed?” She rushed over to her.

Aria furrowed her brows. “Because I am leaving.” She replied and straightened up. She noted the name tag on the woman’s white scrubs. **Ada**. She was lost for words. “I want you to discharge me immediately and get me a taxi to the NCPD station in Little China.” She picked up the bag and placed it on the bed. She searched through it and pulled out her Sacramento green bomber jacket and her credchip.

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you go.” Ada had finally managed to speak up. “You’re in no condition to be discharged.”

Aria let out a sigh. “Let me get this straight, you’re intending to keep detained in this hospital, to keep me here against my will? A cop?” Ada’s eyes widened. “I am allowed to leave whenever I choose. So to make this as easy as possible, discharge me and get me a taxi.” She held her breath for a moment. She didn’t mean to sound so angry, but she had no patience to discuss this with her. “I have wasted enough time here already.” Her voice was low as her eyes sunk to the bag on the bed.

Ada nodded and scurried out of the room. Aria let out a deep sigh, feeling her body was straining to keep her up. She knew it was a bad idea to leave, but she couldn’t stay here while River was out there working. They had been working on this together since day one, not once had they been separated since she first started and she wasn’t going to let it happen after all this time. _Fuck the pain._ She grabbed the bag and walked out of the room.

The elevator doors opened up and the office space opened up before Aria. It was mostly full, colleagues sitting at their designated desks discussing, writing, drinking coffee and trying their hardest to solve their cases. In the middle, she saw River sitting at his desk, bent over some documents while rubbing his forehead.

She walked forward and heads turned as they noted her presence, wide eyes and gaping mouths. They all had heard about what happened to her. Their prying eyes made Aria feel small and she wanted to tell them off, but since most of her co-workers were staring, she thought it wise to just let them gape and move on.

She stopped next to River and he looked up. “Aria? What are you doing here?” He was as shocked as everyone else.

“I’m working here, am I not?”

He gaped wider and scanned her face. She was somewhat surprised by his reaction, she thought at least he would praise her for getting out of the hospital so soon, but then again, he might think her stupid for doing so as well.

“Aria Reyes.” A booming voice resonated from the end of the room. All heads turned towards the wide man standing in the doorframe. “My office **immediately**.” All heads turned towards Aria and she gulped.

_Shit._

The door closed automatically behind her and she walked over to the commissioner’s desk. He sat in his leather chair; eyes drilled into her as she stood still in front of him. The silence lingered and she didn’t know if she should say something or just let him talk whenever he was ready. She noticed the twitch in his left eye and it was a sign he was pissed off. Last time she saw that twitch, was when her colleague Marcus Lambert drove a truck full of equipment for the NCPD into the Del Coronado Bay outside Heywood. Rumour has it he was fired and went into therapy after the ear-ringing shouting he got.

“Aria.” His voice startled her and her eyes snapped straight to his gaze. “Sit down.” He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. She stepped up and sat down, the faux leather squealing beneath her weight. Something glinted in her vision and noted his desk name plate in black, **Sam Cole**. She shifted in the chair to stop the reflection of light from blinding her.

She gulped when he glared down at her. She could see he was straining himself from not screaming at her. She folded her hands in her lap and sat quietly, awaiting his next words.

His teeth were clenched. “How are you feeling?”

His question came as a surprise. She thought she came here to be scolded, not asked about her health.

“I am fine.” She answered carefully and shifted in her seat. “And you?”

He intertwined his fingers together on the desk surface. “Let me tell you, Aria.” His voice was not a good sign to this. “I haven’t taken a shower in four days, I have everyone’s shit up to my ears, we have insufficient funding, we are understaffed, underpaid, outgunned, too many people are murdered in this god forsaken city and recently I almost lost one of my best investigators due to them not having the mandatory implants to even be a police officer.”

His tick had worsened and all Aria could think of was running out of there. It was a ticking time bomb, set to explode any second.

Aria replied with probably the worst question one could give in this situation. “I am your best investigator?”

He slammed his palms on the metal surface, making her whole body jerk. “Aria.” His voice vibrated off the walls. He let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back in his chair. “Why won’t you get the implants?”

She glowered at him. “It wouldn’t have stopped their assault on me.”

“ **No** , but it would have saved you a bullet wound.” He barked. His whole body was tense and the air between them was thick. Aria felt small where she sat.

He rose to his feet and walked over to the window; his hands connected behind his back. He looked out on the streets below. “Aria, you and River are probably the only good cops left in this dump. As far as I know, neither of you take bribes or turn a blind eye, which is exactly why I can’t afford to lose either of you.” He seemed calm, but she knew there were resentment simmering at the back.

He turned and looked at her. His silvery hair glistened in the sunlight. She thought he had greyed faster the last few years, probably because of all the stress, as he wasn’t that old; probably late thirties or early forties. Since she thought about it, she couldn’t remember if they had even celebrated his birthday at all.

He shook his head while he approached her and sat down on the edge of his desk. “I’ll ask you again, why won’t you get the implants?”

She moved her head from side to side with her eyes downcast. “I am not going to have this discussion with you again, Sam. It won’t change my mind about it.” She lowered her head, afraid to look up at him. “If you’re so against it, why did you even hire me in the first place?”

He reached forward and titled her head up. The physical touch of his metal fingers caught them both by surprise. “Because when you first stepped into this office, I knew you would make a difference in this city. Your presence would have a huge impact on everyone and everything.” He stopped and scanned her face. “Because I believed in you. And I still do.”

He removed his hand, but his touch still lingered. She had never seen him like this before, almost vulnerable. “I want you to take some time off, okay? Go home and recover.”

“But…”

“No.” He interrupted her. “If I see you here before the end of the week, you _will_ hear it.” He stood up and walked around to his chair again. He sat down and looked at her. “You may go.”

With a sigh, she stood up and walked towards the door. It automatically slid open and she cursed at it for not being able to slam it after her. She walked down the path between the desks and River met her halfway.

“What happened?” He asked worried.

“I was told to go home and recover. I am not allowed here until next week.” She was disappointed.

He nodded thoughtfully. She walked past him, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her. “We’re still having our weekly cooking and movie night tomorrow, right?”

She smiled at him. “Of course, I am expecting a pretty good meal tomorrow. Feels like I haven’t eating in weeks.” She chuckled and he smiled at her. “See you tomorrow, River.” She slid her hands in her jacket pockets and walked towards the elevator. His eyes stayed at her until the elevator doors closed.

Aria walked up the concrete stairs leading up to her apartment floor. Several people were scattered around, smoking, talking and drinking. She kept her head low, trying desperately not to catch anyone’s attention. She didn’t mind her apartment complex or the people living there but thinking about conversing with the half drunken or drugged people sent unpleasant shivers down her back.

She walked down the hallway towards her apartment. “Aria.” She stopped in her tracks when she heard her name being called out behind her. She let out a sigh and turned around to greet the person.

It was her neighbour Harry Fraser; a short and skinny man who lived on pay-check to pay-check. He slicked his greasy and thin hair back. “Hey Harry.” She was in no mood to talk to anyone. “What’s up?”

“The ceiling.” He snickered and pointed up. Aria didn’t laugh and just looked at him expressionless. “Boy, you look like shit.”

She didn’t know how long he had thought they were friends, at least not close enough to insult each other jokingly. She didn’t mind him, he was a generally nice guy who was pretty good at making coffee, but that was about it. He was right though, not only did she look like shit, but she also felt like it too. She played along with his joke.

“I could say the same about you.” She forced a smirk on her lips, her skin cracking up.

He cackled out and dragged his bony fingers through his hair again. “God, you’re so funny Aria.” He cleared his throat. “Listen, I could uhm… I could use some help. I have a credchip I would need unlocked.” He fished in the pocket of his grey joggers and pulled out a yellow credchip. He handed it over and she took it.

She didn’t ask why or where it came from, because they both knew he stole it and needed the money inside.

“Fine, I’ll get it back to you later today.” She turned around and walked down the hallway. She heard him thank her as she made her way to her apartment. She pulled out her key card and scanned it by the door. It opened up with a sigh and she stepped inside the comfort of her home.

She dragged her feet across the floor and fell down on the bed with a thud. Her muscles groaned as they finally got to relax. She had no idea how tired and worn out she was, how hard her body had fought the last few days.

The sheets felt soft against her skin and she crawled further in, dragging her body till her head hit the pillow. She let out a moan as her eyelids felt heavy. She inhaled deeply and it smelled fresh. She opened her eyes and suddenly noticed her sheets were new. Last time she slept in her bed, they were black, but now they were white. _River?_ She thought and couldn’t help but smile. She inhaled again with closed eyes. _River_.

She sat up in bed, forcing her body to not just lay down again. She shook her limbs before getting out of bed and trudged over to her corner desk. She pulled off her jacket and hung it on her chair before sitting down. She slotted the chip into her computer and begun tapping on her keyboard. “Let’s see how strong your lock is then.” She mumbled to herself.

It took Aria three minutes to unlock the chip and inside were 13.000 Eurodollars. _Seems like you hit a jackpot, Harry._ She scanned through the chip, making sure there were no malware hiding when Harry would eventually take it all out. After a quick scan with nothing detected, she ejected the chip and placed it on her desk.

She looked around her apartment and realised it could use some tidying. Harry’s chip could wait for now. She got out of the chair and begun picking up scattered clothing and empty beer cans. She cleaned out her fridge and scrubbed her shower, all while feeling her body groan in protest. It was still too early to go to bed even though the sun was about to set.

She paused for a moment and looked out her window. The neon lights begun to pop out as the sun disappeared behind the towering buildings. The truest element of Night City finally came out and was the reason she fell in love with the place. From far away, it was the city that birthed several legends, but if you scraped on the surface and dove into middle, you would find nothing but guns, drugs, money, power and corruption.

Aria picked up the credchip and walked out of her apartment. She ambled her way down the hallway but stopped when she saw three men exit Harry’s apartment. One of them were carrying a katana and another one wearing a kabuki half-mask.

 _Tyger Claws? What are they doing here?_ She leaned on the wall and carefully watched as they walked away. She had a bad feeling about it as she approached Harry’s apartment.

The door to his apartment opened automatically and her eyes immediately snapped to Harry’s body writhing in agony on the ground. Her heart sank as he groaned in pain.

“Please, I am sorry. I will get you the money, please.” He begged with blood running down his nose.

Aria stepped inside and knelt down next to him. “Harry, it’s me, Aria.” She spoke softly and placed a gentle hand on his arm.

He squinted up at her and shame washed over him. She furrowed her brows and assisted him in sitting up. He had several cuts and bruises on his face, numerous drops and splatters of blood were scattered across his clothes and apartment.

He opened his mouth to say something, but stayed silent, down casting his eyes in shame. “I am scared, Aria.”

Her heart sank at his words. “Harry, what happened?” She could imagine what happened, but the reason behind it was unknown to her. She sat frozen, waiting for him to answer her.

His lips trembled before he managed to find his voice. “I am in deep shit, Aria.” He admitted and pulled his knees up. “I am in such deep shit.” He shook his head and tightened his hold around his legs.

Her lips parted followed by a hushed sigh. “Harry, let me call a paramedic and the police.”

“ **No** , no police, please.” He met her gaze with wide eyes. “I know you’re a part of the police, but I trust you.”

Her shoulders lowered and she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Harry…”

“I uh… I…” He stammered, struggling to speak clearly.

She squeezed his shoulder once. “You don’t have to tell me anything, Harry.”

“I should, because I am afraid that next time you pass this door, I might not be here.”

Her heart ached. She knew exactly what he meant and even though they weren’t close, he was still her neighbour who made her coffee when she was down. They had shared short stories with one another, him mostly as Aria wasn’t a sharer.

“Listen, I have an addiction. A pretty bad addiction.” He begun and looked away from her. “I have a gambling addiction.” He chewed on his inner cheek. “Sometimes I run out of money and… Well, the owner of the establishment is kind enough to loan me some money.”

Aria covered her mouth with her hand, holding back a gasp. He should have known better, never loan from Tyger Claws, because if you don’t pay back the money, they sure as hell make sure you pay in other ways.

“Harry…”

“I know, I know.” He interrupted her and sighed deeply. “Just… if I go missing, promise to look for me. I don’t want to rot in an abandoned building or container. Find me and burry me, anywhere, even a dumpster, but just burry my body, please.” His voice was at the brink of breaking.

Aria lowered her head and slowly shook her head. “I will look for you, Harry.” She promised. She roamed her hand in the pocket of her jacket and pulled out the credchip. “Here, it’s unlocked with no malware.”

He glanced at it. “No, you take it. It’s not gonna help me.”

She held it closer to him. “Just take it. Maybe it will buy you some more time.”

He reluctantly took it and offered her a smile. She stood up and pulled him up with her. He wiped the stained blood on his face away and nodded.

“Thank you, Aria. I am glad you’re my neighbour.”

“Take care, okay?” She walked towards the door and left his apartment.

She went straight into the shower at her apartment and carefully cleaned herself up. The warm water felt delicious against her tired body, like a cleansing from above. She almost fell asleep as she leaned her hands against the wall and just let the water run. She stepped out and changed her bandages before getting into bed. Falling asleep almost immediately.


	2. Blood Money

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: 18+, violence, blood, body burning, language, hint of sex
> 
> Characters: F!OC, River Ward, M!OC, Wakako Okada
> 
> Note: Not betad, all mistakes are my own

Aria’s body was sore and it begged her to stay in bed when she woke up that early evening, but her daily routine was not going to be broken due to the inconvenience of pain. She had crawled out of bed, forced on a pair of yoga pants and tied her jogging shoes while mentally preparing herself for her jog. Her wounds were aching and sensitive, especially the sown hole in her abdomen.

She took another route than her usual run. She jogged along the road towards California and Cartwright to have a look at the ocean. The air was crisp and the sun had just raised above the tall buildings, casting long shadows and drowning away the neon lights. Her earbuds were pumping out music from Body Heat Radio. The beats made her push through her groaning muscles and go a little longer.

Through the upbeat music, she heard the scream of a woman. She immediately popped one of her earbuds out, letting it hang down on its string. A woman ahead of her were running and pointing towards a man with a bright yellow handbag.

“Please, someone, thief.” The woman yelled while trying to stay in pursuit of the escaping man.

Her body were protesting before she could even think of what to do, but it didn’t help. She immediately darted forward, rushing down the road to try and catch up with the fleeing man. Aria passed the yelling woman who seemed surprised that someone actually listened to her pleas.

Slowly she caught up with the man, he took a sudden turn down an alleyway and she almost slipped on the road to follow him. She felt the stitches on her abdomen almost tear at the movement. She let out a grunt as she found her balance and dashed down after him.

The man stopped at the end of the alley, finding it blocked by a tall concrete wall. The only door available was locked as he tried to tear it open. Aria caught her breath as she realised he had nowhere to go.

She straightened up and looked at the man. “Nowhere to go, just hand over the bag and I won’t take you in for stealing.”

The man clutched to the bag with big eyes, but his expression changed to a smirk. “Fuck you.” He spat out.

Aria was pushed against the wall by a second man who had managed to sneak up behind her. Her head hit the concrete and pain shot through her body. A closed fist met her stomach, tearing at the stitches. She gasped in pain, holding on her wound. Another fist came flying towards her and she ducked away.

Before he could retrieve his hand, she grabbed it, twisted his palm up and pushed his elbow up, popping it out the wrong way. The man howled out in pain and she quickly jabbed him in the throat, rendering him silent as he choked on his Adam’s apple. He fell down on his knees while struggling to breathe.

The man with the purse jumped past her, but she grabbed his sweater and pulled him back. She kneed him in the groin, making him drop the purse to the ground. She fisted her hand and punched him in the stomach before grabbing his head and slamming it to her knee. The man tipped backwards unconscious.

The rush of adrenaline made her hands tremble and she stared at the two men lying on the ground. She picked up the purse and brushed away the dust.

The owner of the purse jogged up behind her and let out a gasp at the sight of the men. “Did you do this?” She asked.

“Yes, just call the police, they’ll pick them up.” Aria handed over the purse.

The woman let out another terrified gasp. “Oh dear, you’re bleeding.” She pointed at her stomach.

She looked down and saw the red stain on her top. _Fucking great._ She placed her hand over the wound and pressed down. The blood seeped between her fingers and a hushed moan slipped between her lips. “Would you mind calling a taxi as well?”

Aria was sitting on the floor in her bathroom with a vodka bottle and first aid kit next to her. She hissed as she poured the clear liquid on her open wound on her abdomen. She breathed as slowly as she could as she pulled out the last string of suture in her skin.

She took a swig from the bottle before she prepared the new string of suture and needle. She looked down on the hole and her spine trembled. “Okay, okay, okay… You can do this. You can do this.” She tried hard to encourage herself, but her shaking hand proved otherwise. She took a deep breath and forced the needle through her flesh. Her teeth were clenched as she fought to keep herself from screaming. As she pressed the needle through her flesh a second time, tears rolled down her cheek. She didn’t realise it was this painful to stitch herself up.

Blood kept running out of her wound as she kept sewing herself back together. By the third stitch she couldn’t hold herself quiet anymore. She wailed out and slammed her head back into the wall.

Several loud bangs against her door made her freeze. “Aria?” The familiar voice called out. “What’s going?”

 _Fuck, it’s River._ She darted her eyes from her wound to the living room. _Ah shit._ She gulped, knowing he had heard her scream.

“The code is my birthday.” She yelled out. She heard him tap it in before she could even take in another breath.

The door opened and River charged in with two grocery bags in his hands. He dropped them when he saw Aria sitting on the floor with a half stitched wound.

“Aria.” He gasped and rushed over to her side. “What happened?”

“It got torn open on my run.”

He sighed and shook his head. “This is why you should have stayed in the hospital, you stubborn woman.” He shrugged out of his jacket and threw it behind him. He reached over and put on the gloves from the med kit. Without a word, he took the needle from her and glanced at the bottle of vodka.

“For the pain.” She smirked through the ache. She picked the glass bottle up and took a few chugs. “For the pain.” She whispered to herself and leaned her head back.

Her hands were fisted and jaw strained as River closed up the wound. He cleaned away the blood on her skin and placed a fresh bandage over the sore flesh.

“Next time, you stay in the hospital.” It sounded like a scolding rather than a plea. He pulled off the gloves and stood up. She looked up at him and silently agreed to his words. He helped her up to her feet and over to the sofa where she sat down. He went back to the bathroom to clean up the blood, alcohol and the old bandage.

“You’re here early.” She noted.

“Yeah, and glad I am too.” He walked over to her with the vodka bottle. “Your stitching skills are not up to date.” He handed her the bottle with a smirk.

She grabbed it and rolled her eyes. “You try and sew yourself up with no painkillers.”

“I wouldn’t have to, because I would stay in the hospital.”

She chuckled and took one last swig from the bottle. She handed it back and he gulped back the remaining liquid.

“So, are you here to teach me a lesson or to cook for me?” She teased and grinned up at him.

He shook his head and walked over to the grocery bags. “Cook _for_ you?”

“Well yes, I am, after all, a helpless woman in pain.”

He snickered. “Helpless? You’re probably the least helpless woman in this city.” He walked into the kitchen with the bags. “So unless you want to miss the delicious taste of my Jambalaya, you better get your ass in the kitchen.”

She got up from the couch and ambled over to the kitchen. River was already unpacking the groceries. He peeked over his shoulder when he heard her approaching steps. She leaned on the kitchen counter and glanced at all the groceries laid out before her.

He handed her an onion without a word. She shrugged and found a cutting board and knife, peeled the onion and started cutting. She had barely cut half of the onion when tears gathered in her eyes. She squinted as she tried not to let the tears roll. River found the sight amusing and sniggered while he stirred the food. For each vegetable she cut and added to the pot, a new one was placed next to her. Somehow she managed to keep the knife away from her fingers and blood away from the food.

“Alright, now we just gotta let it simmer.” River walked over to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer. “Let’s sit down in the living room.” He popped the caps off with his right metal hand and both wandered back into the living room.

They sat down next to each other with a huff. Aria snuggled up in the corner of the sofa and stretched her legs out, placing them over his lap.

He rose an eyebrows at her.

“What? Not my fault you sat down exactly where I was going to lay my legs.” She flashed him a smug smile and took a sip from the chill bottle.

He shook his head in response and took a swig from his own bottle.

“Any update on the case?” She asked.

He sighed with a faint smile. “Eager as always, Aria.” He turned his head to look at her. He scanned her face, her beautiful clear face with a pair of curious brown eyes. “The tech department is still trying to recover whatever they can. I’ll let you know as soon as they find something.”

Her eyes lowered and she chewed on her inner cheek.

“What?”

She shrugged. “It’s just that…” She hesitated. “I feel like I screwed up.”

He furrowed his brows. “Why?”

“Because I damaged the chip.”

“Aria, you defended yourself. I rather have a useless chip than a dead partner.”

She looked up at him with big eyes. “Really?”

He let out a half supress chuckle. “Aria.” He turned in the sofa towards her, holding her legs in place so they didn’t slip off him. “Your life is worth more than anything.” His fingers caressed her leg carefully, nipping at her grey joggers.

Aria pulled her legs back and stood up. She walked across the living room to the big wide window looking out on the city. She crossed her arms, still holding the beer in one hand, and scanned the people walking down below. “Our line of work should tell you a lot about my view on that topic, River. I wouldn’t even consider waking up every day for this job, if I for even _one_ second believed my life was worth more than the people begging for scraps on the streets.” She turned to him. “I put my life out there, to protect everyone else. We are a shield to be used and to be sacrificed, not to be hung up on the wall like a decoration, useless and gathering dust.”

He got up from the couch and left his bottle on the coffee table. He made his way over to her and placed himself right in front of her. His head was tilted down, catching her gaze. “Aria, for _me_ your life is worth more than anything else.”

She turned her head and gazed out the window. “It shouldn’t. You shouldn’t get attached like that.” She sounded frustrated. “One day, suddenly they will be gone and that’s it. You will constantly drown yourself in pain until you’re either numb or dead.” Her words stung deeper within herself. Her mind almost went numb and her eyes pricked in the corner.

To hold back the tears, she took a few gulps from the beer and stepped past him. “Let’s check up on the Jambalaya.”

Aira and River sauntered down the hallway next to each other. A light breeze from the late evening rustled through their clothes. It sent a light shiver down her spine as River tried to explain the difference between a raven and a crow.

“Crows are more social and will often travel in larger groups, while ravens like to travel in pairs. They also make different sounds, so when you hear cawing sounds, it’s a crow, while a raven make a more croaking sound.” He was deep into explaining the difference, while Aria tried her hardest to keep her focus on him. She found it harder than she wanted to admit.

She sighed. “River, I’m never going to have use of this information.”

“Never say never.”

She rose an eyebrow at him. “Actually, this time I will.” She shook her head while rolling her eyes. He bumped her shoulder with his and chuckled.

Aria stopped mid step and stared to her right. River stopped a step ahead of her and looked back at her. “What is it?” He followed her gaze and ended up looking at the half open door to an apartment. He furrowed his brows at the sight. In the corner of his eye, he saw Aria walk towards the door and he followed her.

Aria placed her hand on the chill metal door and slid it open. Her eyes widened at the sight. Harry’s apartment was turned upside down. All his belongings were torn and shred all over the floor. His couch was ripped apart and all mirrors were shattered. There were blood splatter on the floor and up the walls.

Aria gaped in disbelief and felt a knot in her stomach. _“I am afraid that next time you pass this door, I might not be here.”_ Harry’s words echoed in her head and she felt nauseous. She gasped and covered her mouth. _Fuck Harry, how deep were you?_ She stepped into the apartment slowly and remembered the terrified Harry lying on the floor. She knelt down and touched the floor, her fingers brushing against the broken glass and dust. She looked over her shoulder at River.

“Aria, we should leave.” He suggested and met her low gaze.

Her lips were parted as she scanned his face. “I need a ride.”

He knew what she wanted; he could read it in her eyes. He didn’t like it; it was obvious some shady shit had gone down and she wanted to go chase after it. Her determination would get her killed one day and knowing that made him sick to the core.

Aria got out of River’s truck. The pink neon sign of Jig-Jig Street reflected in the several puddles on the ground. The people wandering the streets did not try to hide their intentions of getting laid or getting high. The place was known for its darker alleys, but still it attracted everyone who looked for the more exotic wares of Night City.

River jogged around his truck and stopped next to Aria. He scanned the neon lit streets in front of them. He did not like the fact that they were here, but even less considering it was Tyger Claw territory.

“Remind me again why we’re here.” He looked at Aria who seemed uncomfortable of being here.

She sighed, not out of annoyance, but because she felt she had to be here. “You don’t have to come with me, River.”

“What? And watch you walk into these dangerous alleys by yourself? I don’t think so.” He seemed offended that she would even suggest such a thing. “I just don’t get why we have to be _here_.”

She turned to him. “Because Wakako Okada is here and I know she has relations to the Tyger Claws.”

“We have several files on the TC at the office.” He advised and rose his eyebrows at her suggestively.

She titled her head and shook it. “River, they took him. I _know_ they did. And I…” She choked at the image of beaten up Harry.

 _“Just… if I go missing, promise to look for me. I don’t want to rot in an abandoned building or container. Find me and burry me, anywhere, even a dumpster, but just burry my body, please.”_ His frail words echoed inside her mind. His plea was tearing her heart. She never were close with the man, but that moment, when he was truly at the breaking point, she felt for him. He had no one else and they both knew that, and he had asked her to find him and to bury him, because they knew the Tyger Claws would never bury his body in a proper way. They would probably chuck him in a container or at the side of the road in the Badlands.

“Let’s just go.” She was about to walk when River’s hand grabbed her arm. She halted and looked at him.

“If something feels off, we’re out.”

She nodded. He let go of her and they begun their cautious walk down the wet and somewhat crowded horny streets. The first thing to meet them were the almost blinding neon signs begging the wanderers outside to come in and let off some steam. Every now and then, a person would call out for you, tempt you to come inside and have some fun. The place were covered in some kind of lingering fog that smelled of sex, drugs and alcohol.

Aria had never been here before, but heard other colleagues talk about the place. Often people would walk in with a wallet and leave with a broken nose and empty pockets. She couldn’t understand how someone would even consider wandering these streets when they knew the dangers lurking. But considering the many empty and easily fooled minds of NC, it wasn’t hard to believe the place managed to bloom.

River seemed equally uncomfortable, she saw his tense shoulders and strained face. He was walking as close to her as possible without bumping into her. While he kept his eyes forward, Aria couldn’t help but look at everything around them. She was curious, even though it was a lot to take in.

“Hey, you lookin’ for some company tonight?” Aria stopped when the female leaning on a concrete barrier purred at her in a suggestive way.

Her eyes immediately were caught by the leopard bodice and fishnet stockings. “I’m sorry, what?”

The woman took a drag from her cigarette and winked at her. “Do you wanna have some fun?”

River’s eyes darted from the lady to Aria and back again. Before they could exchange any more words, he hooked her arm and pulled her with him. “Moving on.” He said as he kept her arm hooked in his as they walked.

They stopped outside of Wakako’s Pachinko Parlour. It was a small establishment with several pachinko machines lined up against the walls. A few of the seats were taken. The place was dimly lit, most of the light coming from the beeping machines.

The walked down the small pathway, trying not to bump into the men with their faces glued to the gambling machines. They passed through the door opening on the left side.

A big man dressed in a silvery tracksuit and black boots held out his arm, stopping them in passing through the bead curtain. Aria peeked at the figure of a female inside the room in front of them, before her eyes dragged up to the wide man who had stopped them.

River straightened his back, making himself half a head taller than the impassive man.

“I would like to talk with Wakako Okada.” Aria said, more like a request than an order.

The man shook his head, still no expression on his face.

River crossed his arms and puffed his chest. “Come on, we just want to talk.”

She wanted to skip under his arm and rush in, but the thought about being dragged out of there, probably by the hair, was not tempting.

“It’s okay, Benjiro, let them through.” A raspy female voice came through the beads.

The man’s arm lowered and they both passed him into the room ahead. As soon as they stepped into the room and met the scrutinizing gaze of the silver haired woman, they both felt small. Her eyes were fixed at Aria, who tried hard not to hide behind River’s broad frame.

“I assume you know who I am, considering you came to me.” Wakako crossed one leg over the other and entwined her fingers in her lap. “And I know you are the police girl.” She darted her eyes at River. “But you, I do not know.”

He crossed his arms and leaned his weight to one side. “And you don’t need to know either.”

She scoffed. “Don’t worry, I’ll know soon enough.” Her eyes returned to Aria. “Your friend kept crying about you when he was here.”

Aria’s eyes widened. _Harry?_

“Of course, he had difficulty saying it, considering the amount of blood pooling in his mouth.”

Aria tightened her hands into fists. It was a test, she knew it, but she wouldn’t fall for it.

“It took a bit of time to get the floors cleaned up, but I believe we got it all out of the wood.” A sly smirk grew on her lips. A degrading smile that spat acid at her. Wakako really wanted to see how far she could push.

Aria clenched her teeth. “Where is he?”

“Last I heard, he was lying in a pool of his own blood with most of his teeth missing.” She seemed comfortable in her seat, considering the picture she was currently painting with her words. “And a few fingers.” She added.

River noted the tension in Aria’s muscles and took a step closer to her. “Aria, relax.” He whispered.

“I imagine he doesn’t have much time left, if any at all.”

“Aria, do not let her get to you.” His voice whispered over her shoulder.

 _“I am scared, Aria.”_ It shouldn’t have cut this deep, his words shouldn’t have gotten to her, but she knew the feeling of being helpless, of knowing you’re fucked.

Aria exhaled deeply. “Where is he, Okada?”

The silver haired lioness shrugged.

Aria slammed her fists into the shiny wooden desk. A tense silence swept over them. Her eyes were drilled into Wakako’s gaze. Her heart sank when she realised what she had done, but it was too late to take it back. She kept her fists on the table, waiting for a reaction.

Nothing.

Wakako sat there quietly, examining the seemingly pissed of young woman. She hadn’t flinched when Aria’s fists had hit the surface, she knew it would come, mostly because she knew exactly how to read people. She leaned forward and picked up a half smoked cigarette from the ashtray on the table. She lit it up with a golden lighter and took a deep drag. She blew the smoke in Aria’s face, who still stood still bent forward.

“I will tell you, in exchange for a certain file you have at the NCPD.” She finally said.

Aria slid her hands off the desk and straightened up. “What file?”

“El Víbaro.”

“That’s just a myth.” River shot in.

Aria glanced over her shoulder at him with furrowed brows.

Wakako chuckled with a smirk. “If it’s just a myth, then why do you have a file?” He had no response. “Do we have a deal?”

Aria looked back at Wakako. “Deal.”

River grabbed her arm and spun her to face him. “Aria, we can’t just hand out files from the NCPD. It’s confidential information.”

“I am fully aware of that, but if you claim that it is a myth, there can’t be much information on that file that could be confidential. Please, help me out with this, we need to find Harry.” She begged and grabbed his hands.

He held her gaze for a moment. He could drown in her pleading eyes. He sighed. “Fine, give me a minute and I’ll make a call.” He let go of her and left the room.

“You should be careful around a man like him.”

Aria turned to Wakako, her words a surprise. “I thought you didn’t know who he was.”

“I know every cop in this city. What kind of fixer would I be if I didn’t.” She took another drag from her cigarette and placed the stump in the ashtray. “Do yourself a favour and stay away from him, his obsession for revenge is one day going to drag you down.”

_His obsession? She must speak of his parent’s murder. She is somewhat right about it, but he hasn’t spoken about it for years, he has moved on. Right?_

Aria crossed her arms. “He hasn’t mentioned in for years.” She pointed out.

Wakako shook her head. “Perhaps not to you, but what do you think he’s doing when you’re not around? What do you think he was doing when you were unconscious in the hospital? Where do you think he goes when most of the city sleeps?”

Aria opened her mouth but was interrupted by River entering the room.

“I got the file transferred; do you have a chip?” He asked and stepped past Aria.

Wakako looked through her drawer and handed him a small chip. He slotted it into his head and his eyes turned bright blue for a few seconds before he pulled the chip out. He handed it back to her. “There, now tell us where he is.”

Wakako inspected the chip in her hand and placed it on the desk. “He is in a dark blue metal container marked with three red claw marks. I’m sending you the coordinates.”

Their eyes turned blue for a second and Aria looked at them in silence. She knew what the colour meant, but she couldn’t help but wonder if they felt anything when they did the exchange. If they felt some kind of tingle or electricity, or if they felt absolutely nothing.

River looked down at Aria. “I got it, let’s go.”

Aria jumped out of the truck and splashed right into a puddle. _Fuck._ She shook her head in frustration before she walked forward. Her eyes glossed over the several containers in front of them, her lips partly parted.

River rounded the truck and stopped next to her. He crossed his arms and leaned his weight to one side. “This shouldn’t take too long.” He breathed and looked down at Aria. His brows furrowed. “You alright?”

Aria swallowed thickly. “What if we’re too late?” She turned her head towards him. “What if she lied?”

“She wouldn’t gain anything by lying, Aria. That woman might be dangerous, but from what I’ve heard, she’s an honest woman, at least about stuff that doesn’t regard her private life.”

Aria exhaled and stalked towards the big blue metal boxes.

The city air was thick and a low fog was lingering around the corners of the streets. The people who had lost their mind to drugs were babbling in their small tents. The slight layer of gravel crunched beneath their footsteps as they scanned for red claw marks.

“You never told me…”

Aria stopped and blinked at him. “Told you what?”

“Why you’re doing this. He was just your neighbour, wasn’t he?” River stopped a few steps ahead of her and turned to look at her.

She regarded him, feeling the somewhat passive tone in his voice. “I told you, you don’t have to come with me.” She reminded him and started to walk again. As she passed him, he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“Why are you avoiding the question?” He asked with a stern voice.

She sighed heavily. A flash of feeling warm blood splatter across her face made her shiver. She forcefully held back a gag.

Her eyes rose up to his face. “It’s a long story I rather not get into, River. Just accept that I am doing this to hopefully save a life, or at least honour one.” He lightened his grip on her. “Now can we please try and find the container? I don’t want to waste more time.”

He studied her face and finally let go of her. He nodded and turned to continue the search for the mark.

They both roamed between the containers and looked at all possible graffiti tagged on the outside. Every little red streak caught Aria’s attention, desperate to just find the god damn box.

As she passed between the containers, she spotted a lone blue container at the end of the lot. On the front where three red marks. Her heart thumped against her ribs as she jogged over to the box. A rusty old padlock hung on the handle, keeping her from unlocking it. She gave it a few kicks, but to no avail.

“River.” She called out.

Within a few seconds he appeared behind one of the containers. He strode over to her and noted the padlock too. Without a word, he grabbed it with his bionic hand and jerked it, making the lock break.

“Thank you.” She nodded and they grabbed a handle each and pulled open the doors. They creaked in harmony and the smell of urine and blood filled their nostrils. They both gagged in reflex and took a step back for clean air.

She peered into the darkened shadows and noticed a black figure slumped together at the back. “Harry.” She whispered and rushed into the container. She fought not to throw up from the smell.

She knelt down next to the figure and lifted up the head by the chin. Two dark red and black empty sockets met her. She snapped her hand back and threw her head to the side, letting the vomit spew out of her.

“Aria.” River yelped out and hurried over to her. He held back her hair as she finished up throwing up. “Are you okay?”

She groaned in disgust. “His eyes, River. His fucking eyes.” She whimpered with tears rolling down her cheeks. She straightened her back and glanced over at River.

He was knelt down next to her and examined Harry’s face in revulsion. “Fuckin’ hell.” He breathed out.

His jaw was dislocated and probably most of his teeth were missing. He had several cuts on his chest and all his fingers were gone.

They sat there in silence, neither not knowing what to do or say. The sight was horrifying enough, just because he owed them some money. He had an addiction and they knew it, exploited it, but why? Did they do it just to have an excuse to torture him? They could have just taken someone off the street if that was the case.

Aria wanted to tear them all apart, to hunt down the fuckers who did this to Harry. She couldn’t imagine the pain he must have gone through, or what he was thinking when it all happened. _“Your friend kept crying about you when he was here.”_ Did he think of her in his last moments? The thought sent unpleasant shivers through her whole body.

“What now?” River snapped her back from her thoughts.

She shifted her eyes between Harry and River. “We need to bury him.” She said and wobbled onto her feet.

“Bury him?”

She nodded. “We’ll take him to the junkyard.”

River shot up on his feet and shook his head. “No way this body is getting in my truck. The stench will be stuck for weeks.”

Her shoulders lowered. “Come on, River, please do this for me. I’ll pay for a thorough cleaning of your truck for a year, just please don’t leave me now.” She begged.

He regarded her for a moment, sometimes he glanced down at the slumped body. He bit his tongue and let out a deep sigh. “Fine but let me get the tarpaulin from the truck.”

Aria wiped the slight layer of sweat from her forehead with a deep exhale. The smell of death was soaked into her clothing and skin. She looked up at the clear sky above as the crisp air rustled through her hair.

River cleared his throat and her head snapped to his direction. He gestured to the rolled up tarpaulin on his truck reeking of piss and blood.

She swallowed thickly and threw the shovel on the ground. She stepped over to him and they grabbed one side each and lifted the covered body of Harry. It felt just as revolting as the first time she had carried his body to the truck. His soft limbs and horrifying smell had made her gag several times. She believed the only reason she wasn’t throwing up, was because she had no more _to_ throw up.

They swung the body to the side and let it fall into the pit Aria had dug in a secluded area of the junkyard. His body made a wet slap sound when it hit the ground and body liquid seeped through the crevices of the tarpaulin. They both gagged as the smell of the fluid hit their noses.

River went back to the truck and pulled out a cannister with gasoline. He glanced at Aria before pouring the content over the body, the smells mixing up, making it somewhat more bearable. He pulled out a lighter from his pocket.

Her eyes snapped to the silvery box in his hand. “Let me do it.”

Without hesitation, he handed her the lighter.

She felt the smooth metal between her fingers as she stared at the soaked covers in the hole. Something in her wavered.

Harry had no family, no true friends, no one, yet he found friendship with her. She might have been the only one who knew who he was, who knew about the few stories of his life he had told her as they had chatted. She wasn’t sure if she should feel honoured or depressed. Here she was, burying and burning his body after being tortured to death. His last moments might have been of her and she honoured his death by burning him. It didn’t feel right, but it was what he wanted, wasn’t it?

He had asked her to bury him, they both knew he had no money to get a proper burial, so what did he expect? She didn’t want his body to rot somewhere above ground or be forgotten in some dump, at least here he could rest in peace, even though it was in the middle of the junkyard.

She lit the lighter and held it for a moment, pausing just one last time to consider her actions. This was the best option, he wanted it, she knew it. She flicked the small metal box forward and it landed in the hole.

The gasoline was set on fire immediately and grabbed a hold of the tarpaulin, before edging its way to the flesh inside. The smoke rose to the sky and the once disgusting smell of bodily fluids, blood and piss, turned to a mix of beef and fatty pork.

Aria took a few steps back and slumped down on the edge of the pickup bed. She watched the fire dance in front of her as River sat down next to her. He handed her a bottle of whiskey and she took a swig.

“What you have done today is commendable, Aria. You truly went the extra mile for someone who could never pay you back.” He took a swig from the flask.

“This wasn’t about payment, River.”

He looked at her. “Then what was it about? You avoid the question like the wasting plague.”

Aria sighed heavily. She lowered her head and closed her eyes. The tall shadows danced on the ground and along the piling trash pyramids.

“When I saw Harry in his apartment, beaten up, it…” She choked on the word.

River moved closer and placed an arm around her. “Aria, you don’t have to…”

“Yes I do.” She interrupted him. “It reminded me of my mother after one of the men had been to visit.”

His lips parted in shock. “What men?”

She had never told anyone about her past life, not a single one. She was living with these memories by herself and now she was going to share it with the one person who had been there since she was alone.

“Remember when I told you my mother was a cleaner at a hotel?”

He nodded slowly.

“Well, my mother had a _second_ job to keep us afloat, so we didn’t have to lose our apartment.” She gulped and her eyes looked at the warming flames. “To make ends meet, she exchanged intimate moments for money.” She didn’t want to say the word, not in the context of her own mother. She always knew it came from a good place. “Sometimes, not often, but sometimes the men wouldn’t pay, and instead of just leaving the place, this one guy…”

She fisted her hands and clenched her teeth together. River wrapped her closer, letting her know she could stop whenever, but she had already made up her mind. She was halfway, so why not tell it all, even though they both knew the ending.

“He punched my mother in the face and she fell to the ground. I was standing in the corner, frozen at the sight of the big man. He pulled her up to her feet and punched her again and again and again and again, until a few teeth fell out, followed by blood splatter across the floor and walls. Some of the blood landed on my face. I can still feel the warm liquid slowly run down my face.” Her body was trembling with anger and sorrow. “He finally stopped and dropped my mother to the floor. She didn’t move. The man regarded me for a moment, I was terrified he would come for me, but all he did was giving me this disgusting smirk. Then he left.

I stood frozen for a long time until I finally collapsed and dragged myself next to my mother. I was afraid she was dead, but the shallow breath between her lips let me know she was still there. I couldn’t call anyone because I didn’t know anyone to call and we couldn’t afford to get a trauma team to us. I sat next to her the whole night, not knowing if she would survive or not.”

River pulled her onto his lap and she wrapped her arms around him.

She felt relieved to have told him, but the lingering pain was too great to ignore. Usually she would suppress the memories, but to tell them out in the open had brought her to a breaking point. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she buried her face into his chest.

“What happened to the man?” He asked carefully.

She shook her head. “Never caught. My mother never pressed charges because the police wouldn’t care considering what she was doing.” Her heart sank. _Injustice_.

“I am sorry, Aria.” He pressed her closer to him, enveloping her in his warmth.

“Thank you, River.” She sniffled. “Can you please drive me home? It’s been a long day.” She sat up and looked at him.

“Of course, would you like for me to stay with you?”

“No, I need some time alone.” She admitted with a frail voice.

He nodded understandingly.

They sat there for a moment longer, only listening to each other’s breaths and the distant sounds of the city.


End file.
